WASHINGTON, DC - House Majority Leader Steny H. Hoyer released the following statement today commemorating the establishment of Washington, DC, in 1790:

"Two hundred and seventeen years ago today, the Residence Act of 1790 was signed into law, designating 10 square miles along the Potomac River as the permanent capital city of the federal government. Maryland and Virginia ceded land to create Washington, DC, but their generous gift had an unintended side effect for their residents: everyone living within the new District lost voting representation in Congress. This injustice has been allowed to continue for far too long.

"In honor of Washington, DC's birthday, there is no more appropriate thing we can do than finally grant its citizens a voting representative in the House of Representatives. I hope the Senate will quickly follow the House's lead in passing legislation that will end more than 200 years of disenfranchisement for the nearly 600,000 residents of the District."

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On Tuesday, The House will meet at 10:00 a.m. for legislative business and recess immediately. The House will reconvene at approximately 10:45 a.m. for the purpose of receiving, in a Joint Meeting of Congress, His Excellency Benjamin Netanyahu, Prime Minister of Israel.